Photos of Zádor, who swam to the far side of the pool and fronted press cameras as blood streamed down his face, were published the world over.

Less well known is the unlikely story of the team's journey to the Games, when the fallout of the uprising, coincidental timing, and a team of unsuspecting volunteers converged at Darwin airport.

A mysterious package

Last year, a package sent via express post arrived at the Northern Territory Archives Service (NTAS).

From its office in Darwin's green northern suburbs, NTAS houses kilometres upon kilometres of significant historical and government records; its archives humming to perfectly conserve materials at 20 degrees Celsius and 50 per cent humidity.

But for Katherine Hamilton, the manager of access and promotions, opening the mysterious package was "like Christmas".

It was a surprise — a time capsule, a fragmented chronology of a stranger's life.

Air conditioning was also a relatively new phenomenon. Luckily the airport terminal was fitted with the only air conditioner in Darwin, so volunteers were happy to work around the clock.

"We'd even sleep on benches because it was air conditioned, and sometimes [arrivals] happened in the middle of the night."

But these gentle scenes would soon be thrown into turmoil.

Shrieks echo through terminal

When the Hungarian water polo team flew out of Czechoslovakia (their own airport had been bombed), the players left under the impression the revolution had been won.

But days later Russian tanks rolled through Budapest once more and crushed the uprising.

The players and officials received scant detail of the events on their five-day journey to Australia. Among the rumours they encountered, according to Dr Blutstein, was that Budapest had been reduced to a crater.